Health care coverage is an essential component of achieving the AHA’s vision of healthy communities, where all individuals reach their highest potential for health. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to hold the promise of extending coverage to more than 25 million uninsured Americans through a combination of public programs and private-sector health insurance expansions. Since 2014, more than 11 million Americans have enrolled in coverage through the new marketplaces and over 8 million received coverage through Medicaid, making great progress toward that 10-year goal of 25 million. As a result, the percentage of insured individuals nationally has hit an all-time high of more than 90 percent.

The 2017 Health Insurance Marketplace enrollment period opened November 1 and will close on January 31, 2017. It’s critical that all community stakeholders, including hospitals, reach out to consumers and make the enrollment process easy and accessible.

Looking for Coverage?

To apply: Go to HealthCare.gov to apply for health coverage, renew your current plan or choose a new plan. For your new or updated health insurance coverage to start January 1, you must enroll or change plans by December 15. You can change your plan any time during Open Enrollment, which ends January 31, 2017. You can also:

Preview 2017 health insurance plans and prices before you apply. Most people qualify for financial help with their premium costs.

Compare 2017 health plans and prices to your current coverage, update your application with any household or income changes, and enroll in a plan.